Fork in the Road. . .

Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus ~ Arrangement by Piano & Cello Duo
(Please click for background music as you read this message of H.I.M.)

My husband and I love taking day trips, especially in the rolling countryside, on a sunny Sunday afternoon. It, therefore, goes without saying that we will often come across many forks in the road not knowing which path to take. Nevertheless, regardless of which road we choose to explore, we are seldom disappointed. The unexpected forks in the road, with their twists and turns, as well as ups and downs, have uncovered delightful discoveries along the way. Such as a majestic, fieldstone farmhouse set high upon a hill as it overlooks the variegated, quilt-patched meadow with the glorious grandeur of the three-tiered, white painted paddocks that seem to roam for acres, which are the playground to many mares and their foals, or the lush, green pastures by a rugged riverbank where the gentle stream flows while a small flock of sheep are grazing.  Our journey together, needless to say, has most certainly never been boring!         

Life, itself, also has many forks in the road – it twists and turns, there are ups and downs, good times and sad times, as well as smooth bumps and rough bumps, too. In fact, I do not know of one single person who has not experienced some kind of fork in the road throughout their life’s journey. However, what I have learned throughout the course of my life is that I must:

1)      Choose what my reaction will be to all circumstances in my life. I have the freedom of choice.  Life is all about change. Therefore, my choice in attitude will determine the outcome of the changes in my life. As Charles Swindoll, a great inspirational minister, once said, “We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.”

2)      Accept what changes have, are, or will be affecting my life’s journey. When a loss occurs, as in the case of one’s health condition, there most certainly is a time to grieve and it must run its course. However, in order to move beyond the grief, I must accept that the changes that needed to occur in my life to make me well again will also enable me to embrace new opportunities that I may not, otherwise, have experienced. Hence, the more adaptable my attitude becomes the more accepting I can be of not only change, but perhaps along the way appreciate the joy of the journey.   

3)      Learn to seize the moment in each and every day. How? By embracing life to its fullest; and by learning to perhaps laugh a little bit more, love a little bit more, and linger a bit more with life. So often, our lives become so consumed with busyness along with “must do’s” and “have to do’s“ that we truly do forget to “stop and smell the roses.”  Yes, this is an old cliché, but rather than rushing through life, I am learning from the life-altering lessons that inevitably have and will continue to come my way. And finally…

4)      Maintain my faith.  For I have learned that faith is not achieved by one great leap, but by one step at a time. It is believing that in the darkest hours, tomorrow will bring a new dawn. It is allowing my burdens to become blessings. It is not of my own strength that I will win the battle of cancer, but by entrusting my life into God’s hands. 

Hence, when I “Choose” – “Accept” – “ Learn” – “Maintain” the forks in the road of my life, then I will be “CALM” throughout my life because I simply trust God. “For when I am afraid, I will trust in thee” (Psalm 56:3).

"Never be afraid to trust 
an unknown future
with a known God."

~ Corrie Ten Boom ~